Assistant Registrar, Exhibitions

Art Gallery of Ontario; Toronto; On-site; CAD 45,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a vibrant and dynamic institution as an Assistant Registrar for Exhibitions, where you will play a crucial role in managing art collections and facilitating temporary exhibitions. This position offers the opportunity to work closely with artists, lenders, and museum staff to ensure the safe transport and installation of artworks. You will be responsible for maintaining accurate records, ensuring compliance with museum standards, and contributing to a diverse and inclusive environment. If you are passionate about art and eager to make an impact in the museum sector, this role is perfect for you.

Benefits

Discounts to GoodLife Fitness

Free tickets to major exhibits

Discounts to major attractions

Free admission for friends and family

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in museum collection management and registration methods.
• Demonstrated experience in art handling and preservation methods.

Responsibilities

• Manage loan requirements for temporary exhibition artworks and communicate with lenders.
• Create and maintain temporary exhibition records in the collection management database.

Skills

Museum Collection Management

Art Handling

Database Information Systems

Communication Skills

Problem Solving

Education

College or University graduate in arts

Tools

The Museum System (TMS)

NetX

Microsoft Office

Job description

Assistant Registrar, Exhibitions

Regular Full-Time

35 hours per week

ART + AUDIENCE + LEARNING

Located in Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest art museums in North America, attracting approximately one million visitors annually. The AGO Collection of more than 120,000 works of art ranges from cutting-edge contemporary art to significant works by Indigenous and Canadian artists and European masterpieces.

We are currently seeking an Assistant Registrar, Exhibitions to join our Exhibitions & Collectionsteam. Under the direction of the Registrar, Exhibitions & Loans, the incumbent will - working with AGO staff and external museums and galleries - perform registration functions pertaining to temporary exhibitions including loan and insurance documentation, art transport and temporary art storage. This includes detailed communication with lenders, AGO staff, and associated service providers; setting of schedules and monitoring progress, creating, maintaining and editing records and source files in the AGO’s collection management database and digital systems, and producing status reports.

What is this position responsible for?

• Reviews and assesses loan requirements for incoming temporary exhibition artworks, clearly communicating stipulations with internal exhibition teams, communicating directly with lenders to gather all artwork details required for their safe collection, transport, installation and dismantle and advising on their logistical needs.

• Creates, updates and maintains all aspects of temporary exhibition and incoming loan records in the collection management database, including constituent records, object and location data, maintaining the legal record of artworks in the AGO’s charge and all related transactions, movements and associated agreements. Maintains digital records of source documents for temporary exhibitions such as master lists, scanned condition reports, traffic receipts and countersigned loan agreement forms. Generates statistical reports for regular communication to internal and external stakeholders. Responsible for following established museum data standards and nomenclature when working in the database and ensures the highest standards of data accuracy are maintained at all times.

• Conducts final temporary exhibition installation inventory, confirming locations of all borrowed artworks. Ensures the accuracy of exhibition artwork location records and updates details in the database in real time. Signals variances in data accuracy immediately to Manager, as required.

• Assesses and documents the condition of temporary exhibition artworks. Monitors the physical location, environmental conditions, storage and transportation conditions of temporary exhibition artworks in collaboration with the Registrar and Conservation. Handles artworks according to museum standards as required.

• Identifies the need for maintaining and securing new insurance certificates for lenders, drafts copy for Federal Indemnification applications in collaboration with Exhibition PMs and communicates with lenders about the specificities of insurance coverage offered by the AGO policy and Indemnity.

• Works in concert with the Traffic Coordinator in arranging shipping schedules, fulfilling customs requirements, and arranging courier schedules and travel details within the timetable for the exhibition. Supports some of the functions of the Traffic Coordinator in their absence, as assigned.

• Acts as main point of contact for exhibition loans in respect of emergency. Articulates specific artwork risks and needs, documents environmental condition changes and emergency artwork location changes, articulates art handling nuances and addresses continuing risks arising from changes in conditions, drafts situation reports to ensure accurate documentation for AGO registrars to comply with contractual specifications around incident reporting.

• Performs other duties and projects as assigned.

What are we looking for?

• College or University graduate in arts, museum studies or a related program.

• Three to five years of demonstrated experience in museum collection management functions, registration methods, and database information systems.

• Demonstrated experience in art handling and preservation methods, fine art shipping and insurance practices, copyright administration, and national and international customs procedures.

• Strong knowledge of conservation standards, practices, and terms, artifact condition reporting; and packing and crating standards and fabrication; and art installation methods.

• Effective and demonstrated communication and negotiation skills to work effectively with internal and external colleagues and museums and maintain confidential borrower information. Knowledge of Canadian and international museum standards, practices, ethics and legislation, such as the Canadian Cultural Property Export and Import Act, CITES, Air Cargo Security and the Canadian Copyright Act.

• Demonstrated problem solving skills.

• Working experience with Microsoft Office programs and collections management database systems, specifically The Museum System (TMS), and NetX.

What are the benefits of working at the AGO?

• Discounts to GoodLife Fitness.

• Free tickets to every major exhibit at AGO.

• Discounts to major attractions as a part of the Provincial/City Reciprocal Programs.

• Free admission to the AGO for friends and family, discounts at the gift shop, bistro, and Learning Centre.

If this sounds like the opportunity you are looking for, apply now!

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility:

At the AGO, we lead global conversations from Toronto through extraordinary collections, exhibitions, and programs, reflecting the diverse community we serve. Committed to fostering inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility, we embed these values into our strategic plan and ongoing priorities.

To Apply:

Please submit your resume and cover letter outlining your relevant experience and qualifications online at https://jobs.jobvite.com/ago/jobs/viewall. We thank all applicants for their interest in the position; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

The Art Gallery of Ontario is an Equal Opportunity Employer.